Sending a chilling reminder to the security forces ahead of the 75th Independence Day celebrations, “unidentified” terrorists on Monday gunned down a BJP leader and his wife in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The deceased BJP leader has been identified as Ghulam Rasool Dar. He was an elected sarpanch and also headed BJP’s kisan Morcha in Kulgam.
According to a senior BJP leader, “Both of them were active members of the BJP and enthusiastically took part in the functions to mark the second anniversary of the revocation of Article 370 on August 5 and raised the Tricolour.”
The broad daylight incident in a thickly populated Push Mohalla in Lal Chowk area of Anantnag shook the senior officials of the security grid as the terrorists managed to escape without facing any resistance from anyone in the vicinity.
Vijay Kumar, Kashmir IGP, said two bike-borne terrorists of LeT outfit were involved in this barbaric terror incident.
The PSO of the BJP leader was found absent from duty at the time of incident. The said PSO has been placed under suspension, police said.
According to ground reports, terrorists barged inside the rented accommodation of a BJP leader and pumped bullets from a close range, killing the couple in cold blood. Images of the couple, lying in a pool of blood inside their home, also went viral on various social media platforms.
In a written statement, a police spokesman said, “The incident was reported around 4.00 pm in Lal Chowk area of Anantnag. Preliminary investigation revealed that terrorists barged inside the rented accommodation of BJP Sarpanch Ghulam Rasool Dar son of Ghulam Hassan Dar resident of Redwani Kulgam at Lalchowk, Anantnag and fired indiscriminately from pistol. In this terror crime incident BJP Sarpanch and his wife Jawhara Begum, a panch, received critical gunshot injuries, who were immediately shifted to hospital, where both were declared brought dead”.
A police spokesman said, “The deceased couple was provided a secured accommodation at Snow cap hotel Kulgam and both stayed there for a short period but they had been continuously insisting to stay at their house at Anantnag town and also submitted an undertaking in this regard. On their request they were allowed to stay at said house in Anantnag”.
On June 2, BJP’s councillor Rakesh Pandita was gunned down by the terrorists in Tral area of Pulwama.
Lt-Governor Manoj Sinha condemned the brutal terrorist attack. In a tweet Lt-Gov Manoj Sinha said, “I strongly condemn the brutal terrorist attack on the Sarpanch GH Rasool Dar and his wife Jawhara Banoo of Redwani Bala,Kulgam.This is an act of cowardice & perpetrators of violence will be brought to justice very soon. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family in this time of grief”.
J&K unit BJP president Ravinder Raina also condemned the killing of a party leader. In his condolence message Raina said the perpetrators of the “cowardly attack” would not escape the punishment at the hands of law-enforcement agencies.
“Once again the cowardly Pakistani-sponsored terrorists have bled Kashmir by killing our Kissan Morcha leader and his wife. Both of them were active members of the BJP and enthusiastically took part in the functions to mark the second anniversary of the revocation of Article 370 on August 5 and raised the Tricolour”.
“They have sacrificed their lives for the nation and we will not allow their sacrifices to go waste”.
Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir Police on Monday apprehended two local youth from Kishtwar four days after the duo went missing.
According to a police spokesman, “Two youths namely Yasir Hussain R/O Sounder, District Kishtwar & Usman Qadir R/O Tander Tehsil Dachhan District Kishtwar went missing on 05-08-2021. It was reliably learnt that both had joined Hizbul Mujahideen.”
Police parties were immediately dispatched to look for the two youth who had joined the terrorist ranks.
“On August 8, reliable information regarding their presence in the area of Tander Dachhan was received. Subsequently, joint teams of Police and Army conducted a search operation in the area after which both the terrorists were apprehended from Kalaingassu area of Tander, Dachhan,” a police spokesman said.
During the search, arms and ammunition including one Pistol, 02 Grenades, one UBGL and one wireless set were recovered from their possession. Further search operations in the area are going on.
On the other hand, BSF averted a major terror strike by seizing a huge cache of Arms/Ammunitions from a hideout in Poonch.
The searches were conducted by the joint team of security forces in the forest area of Mankote under the jurisdiction of Mendhar police station in Poonch district.
During the search operation the security forces recovered 02 A K- 47 Rifles, One Chinese Pistol, One I-Com wireless set, 4 Chinese Grenades, 13 Detonators, ammunition of AK47 and Pistols, Mobile handset.
